Method of selective chemical vapor deposition

ABSTRACT

METALS ARE CAUSED TO BE DEPOSITED SELECTIVELY IN THE HYDROGEN REDUCTION OF THEIR COMPOUNDS WHICH ARE EITHER GASEOUS BEARING OR OF ADEQUATE VAPOR PRESSURE. THE PROCESS IS TERMED SELECTIVE-CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION SINCE THE METAL IS DEPOSITED ONLY ON PREPATTERNED AREAS OF A SUBSTRATE. THE SUBSTRATE IS SUITABLY A GLASS SUCH AS A BOROSILICATE, BOROALUMINO-SILICATE, PHOSPHOALUMINOSILICATE, PHOSPHOSILICATE OR SODA-LIME GLASS. THE SELECTIVECHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSTION PROCESS OCCURS WHEN TWO SURFACES WITH DIFFERENT CHEMICAL REACTIVITIES ARE EXPOSED TO THE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION ENVIRONMENT. THE PREPATTERNED AREAS PROVIDE ONE OF THESE SURFACES, SUCH AREAS COMPRISING A NUCLEATION LAYER OF A MATERIAL SUCH AS CHROMIUM, TUNGSTEN, MOLYBDENUM, COPPER, ALUMINUM, SILICON, SILICON DIOXIDE, ALUMINUM OXIDE, SILICON NITTRIDE AND THE LIKE, OR A COMPOSITE LAYER OF CHROMIUM-COPPER, CHROMIUM-COPPER CHROMIUM AND THE LIKE. THE OTHER SURFACE IS PROVIDED BY THE REMAINDER OF THE SURFACE OF THE EXPOSED SUBSTRATE. THE SURFACE PROVIDED BY THE PREPATTERNED AREA ACTS AS A METAL MUCLEATION SITE WHILE THE GLASS SURFACE IS CHEMICALLY ERODED (ABLATED) AND THE METAL DOES NOT NUCLEATE THEREON. AN EXAMPLE OF THE PROCESS IS THE CHEMICAL REDUCTION OF COPPER HEXAFLUOROACETYLACETONATE BY HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN FLUORIDE OR SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE IN A REACTION CHAMBER. THE CHAMBER CONTAINS A SUBSTRATE HAVING A PATTERNED NUCLEATING LAYER THEREON ON WHICH THE REDUCED COPPER DEPOSITS WHILE THE SUBSTRATE IS ABLATED BY THE FLUORIDE. THE DEPOSITION REACTIONS AND SIMULTANEOUS ABLATION REACTION, ACTING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, ARE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE INVENTIVES PROCESS.

METHOD OF SELECTIVE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION Filed Dec. 16, 1970 J. J. CUOMO Oct. -10, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JEROME J. CUOMO BY 0 I g AT TORNEY Oct. 10, 1972 J. J. cuoMo 3,697,342

METHOD OF SELECTIVE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION Filed Dec. 16, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Office 3,697,342. Patented Oct. 10, 1972 3,697,342 METHOD OF SELECTIVE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION Jerome J. Cuomo, Bronx, N.Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY. Filed Dec. 16, 1970, Ser. No. 98,533 Int. Cl. B44d 1/02; C03c 15/00 US. Cl. 156l3 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE silicate, phosphosilicate or soda-lime glass. The selectivechemical vapor deposition process occurs when two surfaces with different chemical reactivities are exposed to the chemical vapor deposition environment. The prepatterned areas provide one of these surfaces, such areas comprising a nucleation layer of a material such as chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, copper, aluminum, silicon, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, silicon nitride and the like, or a composite layer of chromium-copper, chromium-copper-chromium and the like. The other surface is provided by the remainder of the surface of the exposed substrate. The surface provided by the prepatterned area acts as a metal nucleation site while the glass surface is chemically eroded (ablated) and the metal does not nucleate thereon. An example of the process is the chemical reduction of copper hexafluoroacetylacetonate by hydrogen in the presence of hydrogen fluoride or sulfur hexafiuoride in a reaction chamber. The chamber contains a substrate having a patterned nucleating layer thereon on which the reduced copper deposits while the substrate is ablated by the fluoride. The deposition reactions and simultaneous ablation reaction, acting in close proximity, are essential elements of the inventive process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method of selective chemical vapor deposition. More particularly, it relates to a method for selectively chemically depositing metals on a substrate.

In many situations, it may be desired to deposit a metal on a structure as an overcoating thereon or as a growth in a given pattern. For example, such deposition can be employed in the deposition of a refractory metal on a patterned insulator or the encapsulation of metal conduction lines with the deposited metal, and the like.

In the application of Jerome J. Cuomo and Robert A. Latf, entitled Method of Selective Chemical Deposition, Ser. No. 98,534, filed Dec. 16, 1970 and assigned to the International Business Machines Corporation, there is disclosed a method for selectively chemically depositing a refractory metal such as tungsten, molybdenum, and the like on a patterned substrate. In this method, a given pattern of a material which provides a nucleating surface for the refractory metal which it is desired to deposit is provided on a substrate by photolithographic or other suitable techniques. A gaseous bearing or adequate vapor pressure compound form of the metal which it is desired to deposit is caused to be reduced whereby it deposits on the nucleating surface. The substrate is chosen such that it reacts chemically with the metal compound and the reaction product of the reduction reaction whereby its exposed surface is ablated away concurrently with the deposition of the metal on the nucleating surface. In an example of this'method, the substrate may be a borosilicate or soda-lime glass, the nucleating surface material may be one such as tungsten, silicon dioxide, chromium, silicon, aluminum oxide, etc., and the metal to be deposited is a refractory one such as tungsten, molybdenum, and the like. The reducing agent is suitably hydrogen which is reacted with a gaseous bearing or adequate vapor pressure compound of the metal to reduce the compound to the metal, a typical reaction being that of tungsten hexafiuoride with hydrogen at about 400 C. to produce tungsten which deposits on the nucleating surface, and hydrogen fluoride. During the reduction reaction, the tungsten deposits while the exposed surface of the substrate is chemically eroded, i.e. ablated away by its reaction with hydrogen fluoride and the gaseous metal compound. The mechanism of the method is believed to be the different chemical reactivities of the exposed substrate and the nucleating surface materials with hydrogen fluoride and the metal compound.

The method disclosed in the aforementioned application, while effective with metals such as tungsten and molybdenum which form gaseous bearing or adequate vapor pressure compounds at practicable reaction temperature (400 C., for example) and wherein the metal products and the reaction products of the reduction reaction have different chemical reactivities toward the nucleating surface and the exposed substrate surface, cannot be used to deposit metals where the gaseous bearing and adequate vapor pressure compounds of these metals-and the reaction products of their reductions do not react differently toward the nucleating and exposed substrate surfaces and wherein reduced metal deposition occurs on both surfaces. Clearly, it would be desirable to extend the principles of the invention disclosed in the aforementioned application to enable the selective chemical vapor deposition of those metals which do not meet the requirements set forth therein, for example, metals such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, chromium, etc. being particularly desirable.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide a method for providing a metal in a given pattern on a substrate.

It is another object to provide a method in accordance with the preceding effect for selectively chemically depositing such metal.

It is a further object to convert a chemical vapor deposition reaction to a selective chemical vapor deposition reaction by the introduction into a chemical vapor deposition system, the necessary materials to achieve selectivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally speaking and in accordance with the invention, there is provided a method for depositing a metal in a chosen pattern on a substrate body of a chosen material. The method comprises the providing as the metal, one which forms a gaseous bearing or relatively high vapor pressure compound at a desired temperature, the compound being reducible to the metal; the providing of ablating material which assumes a gaseous state at the aforesaid temperature and which is substantially chemically reactive with the substrate material; and the providing on the surface of the substrate body in the aforementioned chosen pattern, a layer of a protective material which is substantiall non-chemically reactive with the ablating material. The metal compound is reduced to the metal in a reducing atmosphere in a vessel containing the substrate body having the protective material layer thereon while there is concurrently provided the ablating material in the vessel whereby the surface of the protective material forms a nucleating surface on which the metal deposits, the portion of the substrate body surface not having the protective material layer thereon being concurrently ablated away during the reduction and the metal deposition.

In the inventive method, the substrate material is suitably a glass such as borosilicate or soda-lime glass. The protective material may be one such as chromium, tungsten, silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, molybdenum, chromium-copper and chromium-copper chromium. The ablating material may suitably be one such as sulfur hexafluoride, sulfur hexachloride, hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride. The reducing atmosphere can be hydrogen. Thegaseous or substantially high vapor pressure metal compound ma'y be the hexafiuoroacetylacetonate ofthe metal. The reaction temperature can suitably be from room temperature up to 700 C.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description'of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with the invention, the selective chemicalvapor deposition process deposits the metal, e.g. copper on discrete prepatterned'areas. The prepatterned surfaces act as nucleating sites for copper whereas the unpatterned, i.e. exposed surface of thesubstrate does not nucleate thecoppcr but, instead, is chemically eroded (ablated). The inventive process depends upon the presence, of surfaces with different chemical reactivities such that deposition takes place in one area and not in the other although the surfaces are in excess of the activation energy for the deposition process. It is believed that an explanation of the mechanism of the invention is that the ablative surface presents a different chemical reaction path for the reactants in the presence of ablating agents and the nucleation of the metal does not occur whereas the metal reduction reaction path is followed on the nucleation surface.

In'FIG. 1, there is shown a suitable .appanat-usfor carrying out the inventive process. The apparatus is constituted essentially of stainless steel with the exception of the reaction chamber which is suitably made of quartz.

In thisapparatus, an input source of hydrogen and an input source of hydrogen fluoride or sulfur hexafluoride are passed through flow meters and 12, respectively into a quartz reaction tube 14. Reaction tube 14 is suitably heated by an RF coil 16 which is connected to an RF generator. Within tube 14, there is disposed a carbon susceptor 18 upon which there rests a patterned substrate 20 ,of a suitable glass material such as borosilicate, sodalime glass, etc. The pattern material on substrate 20 is a material such as chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, copper, aluminum, silicon, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, silicon nitride and the like or a composite layer of clirornium-copper, chromium-copper-chromium and the li e.

\A source of gaseous bearing or adequately high vapor pressure metal compound is contained in a vessel 22, an example of such compound being copper hexafluoroacetylacetonate which is a gaseous bearing form of copper at relatively low temperatures. Vessel 22 is contained in a chamber .24 which is suitably heated to a temperature of 130-150 C. A fan 26 may be provided within chamber 24 to eifect uniform heat distribution. A source of argon 28 or other suitable inert gas is provided to function as a carrier gas for the copper compound. The gases exiting reaction tube 14 are exhausted into a high velocity fume hood (not shown).

The substrate prior to patterning may be ultrasonically cleaned in detergent and then in hot sulfuric-'dichromic acid solution. It may then be rinsed in deionized water, alcohol, and finally, in Freon vapor. The patterned nucleating coatings on substrate 20 may be deposited or prepared by photolithographic technique electron beam evaporation or sputtering.

In carrying out the invention, the temperature range at which the copper hexafluoroacetylacetonate is maintained is about 130-150 C. The argon or other relatively inert carrier gas flow is from cc. to 1000 cc. per minute. The ratio of the volume of hydrogen fluoride flow to that of hydrogen flow per minute is about 0.01 to 0.1. Typical values are one liter of hydrogen fluoride per minute and ten liters of hydrogen per minute.

In the process according to the invention, the gaseous bearing metal compound, i.e., the copperhexafluoroacetylacetonate, is reduced by hydrogen to copper which deposits and grows on the surface of the patterned layer. The hydrogen fluoride or sulfur hexafluoride react with the exposed areas of the surface of the substrate glass material whereby no nucleation takes place and it is ablated away. Although, there has been illustrated as an example, a gaseous hearing or high vapor pressure copper compound, the process according to the invention is applicable to all gaseous bearing or high vapor pressure metal compounds using a substrate which is chemically reactive with the hydrogen fluoride and the sulfur hexafluoride or other gaseous medium with which the glass reacts such as the chlorides of the latter, for example. The patterning material on the substrate surface is of a. material as has been mentioned above which functions as a nucleating material for the reduced metal. It is substantially unreactive with the hydrogen fluoride or sulfur hexarfluoride or other reactive gaseous medium.

Two modes of selective chemical vapor deposition can be achieved by the inventive process, viz overcoating and growth modes.

In the overcoating mode, selective chemical vapor deposition occurs when the nucleating layer has essentially a three-dimensional form. The selective chemical vapor deposition growth mode is distinguishedfrom the overcoating mode in that the nucleating surface has essentially a two-dimensional shape which isdeveloped into a three-dimensional structure. For example, a threedimensional metal structure such as copper can be selectively grown on these films of nucleating material patterned on a non-nucleating surface. A thin film, of the order of a few hundred angstroms thickness, can be grown into a structure of many microns thickness while maintaining its shape, i.e. with little lateral growth.

In considering the mechanism of the inventive process, the deposition reactions and concurrent ablation reactions acting in close proximity are an essential element thereof.

-In this connection, the nucleating surfaces can be considered as a protective layer relative to the reactive gas-.

eous medium, i.e. hydrogen fluoride or sulfur hexafluoride for example. The protective materials which are suitable for providing nucleating surfaces are either unaffected by hydrogen fluoride and sulfur hexafiuoride, etc., or the rate of attack is sufficiently slow whereby suflicient reduced metal can accumulate on the nucleating surface.- The characteristic feature of the glass substrate is that it tends to be more easily attacked by the ablating material.

The general composition of examples of materials which are ablated are shown in the following table under the heading of soft glass and hard glass. Soft glass, also known as soda-lime glass is composed mainly of SiO tective material layer thereon being concurrently and Na 0. Hard glass of the borosilicate type is generally ablated away during said reduction and said metal composed of SiO;, and B Both aluminum and barium deposition.

are often chemically significant species in determining 2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said metal properties of these glasses. The SiO in both types of 5 is one which is capable of forming a gaseous or relatively glasses is approximately 50 to 70 percent by weight. A high vapor pressure compound at a temperature of from mechanism for the rapid rate of SiO removal in the glass room temperature up to 700 C.

materials might be modeled upon the solution corrosion 3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said promechanism for glass. The reaction with or the leaching tective material is selected from the group consisting of of the more reactive species in the glass would expose chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, copper, aluminum,

an open network of 'Si0 of high specific surface. The silicon dioxide, silicon, aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, reaction rate of such an active surface far exceeds that and composite layers of chromium-copper, and chromiumof a coherent planar surface as is present in fused quartz. copper-chromium.

TABLE III.-APPROXIM.ATE CONSTITUENT OXIDES (WEIGHT PERCENT) Class Type 810, Na O K CaO MgO B50; A110; BaO L120 Soft glass Soda-lime 70.1 16.8 0.3 5.4 as 0.8 2.58 55.5 4.3 3.1 1.0 15.0 5.5 2.5 Hard glass Borosilicate 70.0 0.5 0.1 0.2 28.0 1.1 50.2 13.8 10.7 0

FIG. 2 shows the substrate 32 having the nucleating 4. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said ablatsurface material thereon. FIG. 3 shows the situation which ing material is selected from the group consisting of hyobtains after selective chemical vapor deposition. It is drogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, sulfur hexafluoride seen therein that the metal accumulates on the nucleating and sulfur hexachloride. area and some glass ablates in the non-nucleating area. 25 5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said reduc- When glass is etched by conventional techniques, uning atmosphere is hydrogen. dercutting usually occurs when etching is carried to rela- 6. A method for depositing copper in a chosen pattern tively large depths. If however, the selective chemical on a glass substrate body selected from the group convapor deposition technique is used according to the insisting of borosilicate and soda-lime glasses comprising: vention, and then the nucleating and grown metal ma- 3O depositing in said chosen pattern on said substrate body terial is removed from the surface of the substrate, the a layer of a protective material selected from the glass is etched in accordance with the pattern of nucleatgroup consisting of chromium, tungsten, molybdeing layer. This is shown in FIG. 4. An effective removal num, copper, aluminum, silicon dioxide, silicon, method is to remove the nucleated copper with nitric aluminum oxide, silicon nitride and composite layers acid and then to remove the nucleating surface, tungsten of chromium-copper and chromium-copper-chrofor example, with a KOH, K Fe (CN solution. mium;

As seen in FIG. 4, the etched glass has a pyramid like reducing in a vessel containing said substrate having shape, i.e., a mesa configuration. The aspect ratio is adsaid protective material patterned layer thereon in vantageously good. For example, 24 mil dots have been a hydrogen atmosphere, at about 130150 C., copetched to a depth of 21 microns with little change in 40 per hexafluoro-acetylacetonate while concurrently diameter and maintenance of shape. An important aspect providing in said vessel hydrogen fluoride;

of this method of etching glass is the rate of removal whereby said reduced copper deposits on said protecachieved in the etching. Removal rates of the order of tive material layer surface while concurrently said 5 to 10 mcrons er minute have been achieved. ex sed lass surface is ablated awa b said h dro- While the inv ntion has been particularly shown and geg fluorlde. y y y described with reference to preferred embodiments there- 7. A method for providing an etched pattern on a of, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that glass body comprising: the foregoing and other changes in form and details may using as said glass body, a body made of a glass sebe made therein without departing from the spirit and lected from the group consisting of borosilicate, boroscope of the invention. 5 alumino-silicate, phosphoalumino-silicate, phospho- What is claimed is: silicate and soda-lime glasses,

1- A method for depositing a metal in a chosen Pattern providing on the surface of said glass body a patterned on a substrate body of a chosen material selected from layer of a nucleating i l l d from the the group consisting of soda-lime, borosilicate, boroal lgroup consisting of chromium, tungsten, molybd mine-silicate, phosphoalumino-silicate, and phosphonum copper aluminum silicon silicon dioxide Silicate glasses comprising the steps 0f: aluminum oxide, .silicon nitride a composite layer providing as said metal, one which is capable of formf chromiumopper and a comlmsite layer f chro ing a gaseous bearing or relatively high vapor presmiumcoppepchromium;

sure compound, said compound being reducible to said metal;

reducing in a reaction chamber containing said nucleating material patterned glass body, a gaseous bearing providing an ablating material which assumes a gaseous or high vapor pressure metal compound in the pres stage g i i chemlcany reactwe ence of an glass-ablating material selected from the wit sai su stra e ma eria d group consisting of hydrogen fluoride, hy rogen th u fac of said substrate bod m sa1d 312 8 25 gzilteri a lay; of a protective material which giggl i i ggfi rgfifig g$ g:

is substantially unchemically reactive with said y g nucleates on sa1d. nucleating layer and the surface ablating material of sa1d glass body chemically reacts Wlfl'l sa1d ablatreducmg sa1d metal compound to sa1d metal in a g ater a to b ere y a d a ay; a d

ducin atmos here in a vessel containing said substrate body h ving the patterned protective material thereafter removmg sa1d nuclealllllg layer Wlth 1 the 'egn hil o tl idi i id posited metal thereon from the surface of sa1d glass vessel said ablating material, the surface of said probody whereby there remains an etched pattern on tective material layer forming a nucleating surface sa1d glass body. I upon which the reduced metal deposits, the portion 8. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said metal of said substrate body surface not having said procompound is copper hexafiuoroacetylacetonate, said nucleating material is tungsten and said glass body is made of borosilicate glass.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Kaspawl et a1 117212 Amiok 117213 X Michel et a1. 117107.2 X Toolmin, Jr. 117107.2 X

5 ALFRED L. LEAVITI, 'Primary Examiner.

C. K. WEIFFENBACH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.'R.

117107.2 R, 212, 217; l56-l5, 24 

